Bill Klersy ("best cap" photo at bottom of page) and Jack Sheppard
Bill Klersy ("best cap" photo at bottom of page) and Jack Sheppard
__________________________________________FLYERS AWARDED WINGSDunnville, Ont., June 19, 1942 —(CP)— Eight
Ontario sergeants, all civil pilots before the war and former instructors
at Canadian training schools, received their wings at No. 6 Service Flying
Training School here today. _______________________________________________
________________________________________________ RCAF Shoots Down 26 Enemy Planes in Normandy
|
January 16, 1945 - One of the youngest Canadian fliers to hold
such a post, Sqdn. Ldr. W. T. (Bill) Klersy, DFC and Bar, 22,
of Toronto, has just been promoted to command the famed 401st
Canadian Fighter Squadron, He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. F.
Klersy of 14 Harcroft Rd. |
 |
Receiving his wings at Dunnville, he was posted for 11
months to a fighter squadron at Bagotville, Que., then proceeded overseas.
The citation which accompanied the Bar to his DFC last month read: "A
keen and courageous fighter, he has completed a large number of sorties,
and his successes include the destruction of seven enemy aircraft and
many mechanical vehicles."
________________________________________________
An Advanced RCAF Airfield in Holland, March 1, 1945 (CP)
—A Canadian Spitfire wing today became the first 2nd Tactical Air
Force formation to reach and pass the 300 German aircraft destroyed when
pilots of the Ram Squadron shot down four enemy planes. The squadron also
probably destroyed one and damaged two more for the loss of two Spitfires.
The four destroyed including three by Sqdn. Ldr. W. T. Klersy of 14 Harcroft
Rd., Toronto, brought the wing's total to 302. The battle arose when the
Spitfires were attacked by more than 40 Me-109s and FW-190s east of Dorseten,
in the Munster-Rheine area. Since D-Day the wing has made 273 killings.
F/L J Mackay of Cloverdale, BC, shot down the
fourth plane today and damaged two more. F/O A. E. Sawyer of 33 Lindon
St. Toronto probably destroyed another. Sqdn. Ldr. Klersy's first two
victims, both Me-109s, were destroyed a few minutes apart in identical
fashion. He opened fire from 500 yards and hit the fuselage and long-range
gasoline tanks, which burst into flames. Both spun to the Ground and
exploded. Details of his third kill were not given immediately.
________________________________________________
London, April 20, 1945 - (AP) - RAF bombers raided flaming
Berlin tonight, following up daylight attacks by American heavy bombers
on the defense arc of the doomed capital and savage machine-gunning of
its barricaded downtown district by hundreds of roof-skimming Russian
Stormoviks.
Instead of the usual announcement that Berlin had been hit by Mosquito
bombers, the Air Ministry said the city was attacked tonight by aircraft
of the Bomber Command indicating that heavy bombers as well as Mosquitos
had made the mission.
During the day more than 800 American heavies slammed 1,600 tons of bombs
on seven key outposts in the defense perimeter attack, in direct support
of American and Russian armies engulfing the capital.
Seven Planes Lost
Nearly 1,000 fighter-bombers the United States 9th Air Force combed a
300-mile area from Ludwigslust, 85 miles northwest of Berlin, to Pilsen,
182 south. With a loss of seven planes, they attacked 11 rail yards, and
10 airfields, destroying 71 parked aircraft and shooting down five more
in combat. They also shot up 1,087 locomotives and railway cars.
A fuel depot at Annabug, 50 miles south of the capital, and railway yards
near Nurnberg were attacked by 280 medium bombers without loss.
All told the fighter bombers flew [looks like 1,285 or 2,285] sorties.
Meanwhile 200 RAF Lancasters escorted by Mustangs of RAF Fighter Command,
made a heavy and concentrated attack on a fuel depot at Regensburg, in
Southern Germany this afternoon. The Air Ministry said one bomber is missing.
"Murderous Scene"
Co-ordinated with the aerial bombardment of Berlin was incessant shelling
of the city by massed Soviet artillery. The German radio went off the
air after describing the scene as "murderous." Electric current
failed and many of Berlin's sirens had to be operated by hand.
This was Berlin in its death throes, on the 56th birthday of Adolf Hitler.
RAF Mosquitos hit the capital twice Thursday night.
Out of the fleet of 600 which attacked Berlin and more than 200 other
heavy bombers which raided the Munich and Prague areas a single American
bomber failed to return. Upward of 800 fighters shot down seven ME-109s
without loss to themselves.
The heavy American bombers aimed at snarling rail traffic in Berlin's
defensive arc on the west. Immobilizing German troop movements at a time
they need to be rushed to reinforce pressure points
One of seven German planes destroyed by Canadian Spitfire pilots over
Germany fell to Sqdn.-Ldr. W. T. Klersy of Toronto, who
boosted his score of destroyed enemy aircraft to 11.
________________________________________________
"The last Patrol" by Lance Russworm. Bill Klersy, Chunky Gordon, Jeff Northcott & Charley Fox make the last RCAF patrol of WW2. Click the pic to learn more.
| 7 Mar 1944 7 June 1944 28 June 1944 2 July 1944 13 July 1944 17 July 1944 31 July 1944 23 Jan 1945 1 Mar 1945 19 Apr 1945 20 Apr 1945 1 May 1945 3 May 1945 |
one FW.190 one FW.190 two FW.190s one Me.109 one FW.190 one Do.217 one FW.190 one Ar.234 .08 Ar.234 one FW.190 two Me.109s one FW.190 two FW.190s 1.5 Me.109s one FW.190 one Ju.52 one He.111 |
destroyed N Beaumont-sur-Oise destroyed NW of Caen destroyed 10 miles E Domfront destroyed S of Caen damaged E of Caen destroyed, NE of Caen destroyed, NW of Domfront damaged & damaged, Bramsche [a] destroyed, & destroyed Dorsten area [b] destroyed, Hagenow destroyed & destroyed [c] damaged [d] destroyed OTG & destroyed OTG [e] |
14.5 / 0 / 3.08
plus
2 / 0 / 0 On The Ground
[a] ...the Wing obtained thirteen victories on the 23rd. The Rams on a morning armed reconnaissance found a number of aircraft taking off and landing at Bramsche, north of Osnabrück. These they took to be Me.262s but on further consideration, after study of aircraft recognition books, they came to the conclusion that they were Arado 234s. F/O G. A. Hardy dived on one which crashed in the woods and took fire. F/L Connell and P/O M. Thomas shot down another which exploded as it hit the ground. The pilot of a third, which also crashed and burst into flames, baled out when attacked by F/O D. F. Church. Another, attempting to take off, nosed into the ground and was claimed as damaged by the squadron as a whole. Claims of one damaged Arado were also made by S/L Klersy, the new commanding officer of the Rams, F/O F. E. Thayer and F/L W. R. Tew respectively while F/L Murray, who got his D.F.C. on the 31st, damaged two more. [RCAF Overseas 3]
[b] ...On the 1st the Rams, on their only show of the day, an armed reconnaissance, were bounced in the Dorsten area by about forty Me.109s and FW.190s. S/L Klersy called a break and got behind an Me.109 which he brought down in flames. A second one similarly went down in flames and then, as his section reformed, Klersy met some FW.190s one of which he destroyed. It went into the deck and exploded. Klersy now had ten destroyed, an achievement for which he was awarded the D.S.O. F/L MacKay obtained strikes on an Me.109, damaged an FW.190 which spun towards some cloud, and then similarly damaged another FW which likewise spun towards the cloud. This last shed its starboard wing, however, and Johnny chased it down until he saw it crash in flames. F/O A. E. Sawyer probably destroyed an Me.109. These victories gave the Wing the honour of being the first formation in Second Tactical Air Force to chalk up a total of 300 enemy aircraft destroyed. The squadron’s success was somewhat offset by two casualties. F/L O. E. Thorpe, on his last operational trip, was forced to crash-land at Volkel, where he escaped with nothing more than a bad shaking-up, but F/L Harry Furniss, whose aircraft was damaged in the combat, failed to return, and was later reported a prisoner of war. [RCAF Overseas 3]
[c] ...Though the diarist of the Rams recorded that pilots were gnashing their teeth because of the success of the other squadrons on the 19th, the situation was reversed the next day. They destroyed 18 enemy aircraft and 27 vehicles for the loss of one pilot and two aircraft. On their second armed reconnaissance the Rams saw a large number of enemy aircraft taking off from the grass strip southwest of Schwerin. There were more Huns at 10,000 feet and a top cover at 20,000 feet. The squadron immediately attacked and when it was all over the Rams had totalled eleven Me.109s destroyed and three damaged. S/L Klersy and F/L Woods each destroyed one and shared another, F/O Francis destroyed one and damaged another. F/L W. R. Tew and F/O J. A. Ballantine each destroyed two, F/Ls R. H. Cull and MacKay and F/O J. H. Ashton, D.F.C. each destroyed one and a damaged each was claimed by F/O R. C. Gudgeon and P/O D. W. Davis. F/O R. W. Anderson, however, failed to return. Tew, who now had shot down four enemy aircraft, and Cull, who likewise had destroyed four, were awarded the D.F.C. in July, while F/L MacKay, who had a total of eleven destroyed and a share in a twelfth, was awarded a Bar to his D.F.C. in May. At 1910 hours the squadron was off once more and again a large gaggle of enemy aircraft was seen taking off, this time from Hagenow aerodrome. The enemy were heading east at tree-top level as the squadron attacked. Seven Huns were destroyed and three damaged. F/L Watt and F/Os Francis and Cameron each destroyed one FW.190 and damaged one, F/L Cull and F/O D. B. Dack each destroyed one while S/L Klersy destroyed two which exploded and crashed. Klersy’s score was now 14½. There was no loss from enemy action though one of our aircraft crashed on take-off. The pilot, F/L B. B. Mossing, had a narrow escape since the aircraft had both wings ripped off, the fuselage broke in two, and one half the aircraft went up in flames
but Mossing sustained only a broken leg bone. [RCAF Overseas 3]
[d] ...The close of hostilities found the McGregor-Northcott Wing at Wunstorf. On May 1st the Rams on a patrol of the Schwerin Lake area sighted an FW.190 which W/C G. W. Northcott, D.S.O., D.F.C., damaged. A second one was seen taking off from Lübeck aerodrome and was likewise damaged by S/L Klersy. [RCAF Overseas 3]
[e] ...The 3rd was a great day, a kind of grand finale to the whole continental campaign. The Rams had been patrolling over Hamburg as the ground forces entered the city and, while in search of enemy transport, saw a grass strip at Schonberg, northeast of Kiel, with a number of enemy aircraft in various stages of camouflage. The Rams attacked and, meeting no opposition, continued firing until they ran out of ammunition. S/L Klersy destroyed a Ju.52 and an He.111. F/L Watt destroyed a Ju.52 and a Ju.87, F/O Francis destroyed two Ju.52s and F/Os Gudgeon and Dack each three more; P/O V. E. Cottrell destroyed two Ju.52s and P/O Woodill one He.111. In addition, the squadron accounted for five locomotives damaged, thirteen rail trucks damaged, seven motor vehicles destroyed and 47 damaged and three horse-drawn transports damaged. [RCAF Overseas 3]
_________________________________________________
5 June 1945 - The Department of National Defense for Air has issued the following casualty list, No. 1214, showing next of kin from Ontario, this list includes:
KLERSY, William Thomas, DFC and Bar. S/L - W. P. Klersy (father) 14 Harcroft Rd, Toronto
________________________________________________
KLERSY, S/L
William Thomas, DFC (J12199) - DSO - No.401 Squadron
(deceased)
Award effective 20 June 1945 as per London Gazette dated 29 June 1945
and
AFRO 1453/45 dated 14 September 1945.
Throughout two tours Squadron Leader Klersy has displayed outstanding leadership, courage and devotion to duty. Since the award of a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross he has destroyed or damaged a further ninety enemy vehicles, eight locomotives and eight good trucks. He has also destroyed three more enemy aircraft bringing his total to at least ten enemy aircraft destroyed. This officer has moulded his squadron into a powerful operational unit that by maintaining a consistently high standard in every phase of ground or air activity has set a magnificent example to the rest of the wing.
All awards presented to next-of-kin, 10 December 1947
_________________________________________________
Ottawa, Dec. 10, 1947 - (CP) - In the name of His Majesty
the King . . . I give you the medal which your father won . . ."
Viscount Alexander, Governor-General, bowed and smiled as he handed the
Distinguished Flying Cross to 4-year-old Kenneth Mitchell of Victoria
at an investiture today in Government House. It was the medal Kenneth's
father, the late Flt. Lt. C. G. Mitchell, had won for "devotion to
duty." The lad and his mother had traveled from the west coast to
receive the award.
Twelve-year-old Jean-Louis Bieler of Montreal was the second youngster
to receive a decoration which his father had won.
Dressed in Boy Scout uniform, he stood at attention while Viscount Alexander
pinned to his blouse the medal of the Distinguished Service Order which
his father, Major G. D. A. Bieler, gave his life in winning more than
four years ago.
Little is known of Major Bieler's behind-the-lines operations, except
that he perfected an escape route for prisoners of war.
Eventually the route was discovered and Major Bieler was executed.
More than 70 decorations were presented at Government House, most going
to members of the RCAF.
Mrs. R. G. Christie, of Edmonton, received the Distinguished Flying Medal
for her husband, the late PO. Christie. T. C. Dempster, of Toronto, received
the DFM which his brother, the late Flt. Sgt. W. J. Dempster, had won.
The Air Force Cross went to Wing Cmdr. K. C. Maclure, of Montreal, "for
outstanding devotion to duty and ingenuity as a navigator ...'
Wing Cmdr. Maclure took part in a scientific survey over the north geographic
and magnetic, poles.
"... The contribution which he has made to the accomplishment of
the flights and the scientific data he was able to collect will undoubtedly
have far-reaching effects," read the citation.
Others receiving decorations Included: Mrs. W. P. Klersy, Toronto,
for her son, the late Sqdn. Ldr. W. T. Klersy (DSO, DFC and bar);
Wing Cmdr. H. B. Long, Vancouver (OBE); Wing Cmdr. J. H. Penton, Port
Dover, (MBE); Sqdn. Ldr. H. C. Ashdown, Montreal (MBC); Flt. Lt. D. C.
Gordon, Vancouver (DFC and bar).
Mrs. W. Seicker, Kitchener, for her son, the late Flt. Lt. W. J. L. Seicker
(DFC and Bar); H. W. Blenkinsop, Victoria, for his son, the late Sqdn.
Ldr. E. W. Blenkinsop (DFC); Mrs. T. H. Mosely-Williams, North Bay, for
her son, the late Sqdn. Ldr. W. R. Moseley-Williams (DFC).
Mrs. A. J. Haynes, Winnipeg, for her husband, the late FO. A. M. Mackie
(DFC); Mrs. J. H. A. McCaffrey, Vancouver; for her husband, the late PO.
J. H. A. McCaffrey (DFC); Mrs. J. R. Chapman, St. Thomas, for her husband,
the late WO2 J. R. Chapman (DFC).
_________________________________________________
Pilots of 401 Squadron playing cards sometime in October 1943
Clockwise from 7 O'clock : F/O H. R. Tew
(back to camera) |
_____________________________________________________________
--- Canadian Aces ---
_______________________________________________
Top photo from The Canadians At War, a Readers Digest book.
On these pages I use Hugh Halliday's extensive research (which includes info from numerous sources), newspaper articles via the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) as well as other sources both published and private |
